Medication mix-up leads to woman’s life-threatening stroke

Parveen Kayani was told to pause her blood-thinning medication in preparation for treatment for liver cancer – but was not given an alternative in the interim period to help manage an existing heart condition.

Less than a week after she underwent surgery at St George’s Hospital in London and was discharged back home in August 2020, Parveen, now 68, had a life-threatening stroke from a blood clot that had developed in her brain.

As a result, she has lost the use of her left arm and leg, and struggles with speech and memory. She has restricted mobility, can no longer drive, and cannot get around or carry out basic tasks without the support of her family.

St George’s Hospital has apologised to Parveen for the “conflicting advice” from the pharmacy and medical teams with regard to her being given anticoagulants, with an internal investigation revealing failings in her care and communication errors between staff.

But as a result of the hospital’s failures, her husband Javed has been forced to leave the business he ran with his son to assist Parveen in her daily living. Their daughter has also given up her job as a teacher to support her parents.

“My wife has suffered a lot, we have all suffered a lot, and it still goes on every day,” says Javed, who lives with his wife in the Wandsworth area of London.

“The care she received was not good enough, and that is why we are in this position. Their apology is not enough.”

Parveen was awaiting liver ablation treatment on August 13, 2020, at St George’s Hospital, with a plan put in place for her to gradually stop the blood thinners she was taking for atrial fibrillation, and was given pre-filled syringes to help her manage her dosage.

However, two days before, she was asked to return these syringes to the hospital – and was not given any bridging anticoagulants after the procedure, despite a Serious Untoward Incident report revealing a pharmacist had flagged up concerns around her blood level.

On August 18, five days after her discharge, Parveen collapsed at home with symptoms of a stroke. She was rushed to hospital and had to undergo an emergency thrombectomy to unblock the blood clot in her brain.

“The fact they told us to return the syringes and then didn’t check her blood level properly has been terrible, the consequences have been very serious,” says Javed.

“We have missed out on so much as a family, and my wife has lost so much of her independence, all because of this negligence.”

The family turned to law firm Slater and Gordon for support in securing a settlement from St George’s University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, which manages St George’s Hospital.

Nadia Saber, a Muslim lawyer and senior associate at Slater and Gordon, represented the Kayani family throughout their claim.

“It was very important to us that Nadia understood us as a Muslim family, she worked very hard to fight our case to a very high standard. We have been very pleased with the outcome for our family,” adds Javed.

Nadia, who has specialised in clinical negligence for over ten years, says: “Through poor standards of care and lack of communication, Parveen has suffered significantly, and continues to do so every day. The fact her stroke was avoidable, if only the correct medication had been given, is devastating for her and her family.

“As a fellow Muslim, I was able to support Parveen and the wider Kayani family through my shared understanding of their needs and requirements that present as a result of their faith, which enabled us to build a strong relationship. The mediation meeting took place during Ramadan when they as a family were fasting alongside myself. During the case we discussed how Parveen used to be an active member of the mosque and how much her faith meant to her - but she can no longer properly read Namaz as a result of her stroke.

“We are very pleased to have secured a settlement for them, which will help achieve financial security and enable them to look to the future.”